For beginners, hydroponic planting can seem intimidating if you haven’t had a chance to really dig into this exciting gardening method. This is why the Realityworks team shared their firsthand experience with our Plant Lab Educational Hydroponics System and Plant Mini Educational Hydroponics System in a recent webinar explaining hydroponics for beginners. This sustainable form of gardening is an engaging, rewarding activity for students in all sorts of classes, from agriculture to Family and Consumer Sciences and more! Read on to learn what growing with hydroponics is and how you can incorporate hydroponics into your classroom with ease.
What is Hydroponics and Why Should You Use It in Your Classroom?
Hydroponics is a gardening method in which plants are grown in a water and nutrient solution, rather than soil. There are many advantages of hydroponics that have caused it to gain popularity and make it great for classroom settings. This form of gardening provides excellent learning opportunities that encourage career exploration among students. Additionally, hydroponics hits all areas of Science, Technology, Education and Math (STEM) from the science of plant growth to the math involved in determining how much the plants are growing and the nutrients they need. Hydroponics can be done indoors at any time of year. Better yet, it won’t take up much space in your classroom. Plus, plants often grow faster with hydroponics so students can quickly see their plants’ progress. There are also lots of opportunities for experimentation with different plants, water levels, and nutrients.
What Are the Different Types of Hydroponic Systems?
There are six main types of indoor hydroponic gardening:
- Deep water culture (DWC), in which the plant’s roots are floating in a nutrient solution while oxygen is released into the water to keep the roots from drowning.
- Ebb and flow (also called flood and drain) that has a timed water pump flooding the plants with a mixture of water and a nutrient solution. Then the water slowly drains back into the nutrient solution.
- Drip system, in which a water pump pulls water from a nutrient solution and continuously drips it on the plants. The drain then returns the water to the solution.
- Nutrient film technique (NFT) features plants that are secured to a ramp which water is pumped onto from the nutrient solution. The water flows down the ramp and drains into the bath, constantly bathing the plant roots.
- Aeroponics is a system where a water pump pulls water out of a nutrient solution and sprays mist on the plant root.
- Aquaponics is a system that includes fish in the nutrient solution. The fish waste provides nutrients for the plants and the plants filter the water to keep the fish happy and healthy.
How Easy Is It to Get Started?
As we’ve shared in previous blogs, Realityworks marketers Emily and Allen recently took on the task of growing with hydroponics for the very first time and reported on their experience. Emily used our plant lab system to grow lettuce, kale, and other greens. Allen used the plant mini system to grow a variety of herbs. Both were a little intimidated by idea of growing plants in water but found that, with the help of the Quick Start Guides included with our units, it was pretty easy to figure out.
To get started, Emily ordered her nutrients and testers online and got the seeds from personal gardens as well as local stores. Once she had everything she needed, she could start germinating and away they went! To keep their plants happy, they provided the plants with all they needed to meet their basic needs from light to nutrients, supplied them with all the water they required, and checked the pH and EC levels. The lab took care of the rest!
Emily was working from home while the plants were growing at the office and whenever she couldn’t care for them, her coworkers stepped in and, with the help of the Quick Start Guide, made sure the plants were getting everything they needed. Her first harvest arrived much faster than she anticipated with some plants becoming fully grown just three weeks after germination. She used her new plants to make soups and salads. Allen harvested dill and lemon basil which he used for pickled beets and pesto.
Get more details about what worked and what didn’t work as Allen and Emily nurtured their hydroponic plants by reading our previous posts.
Tips for Teaching Hydroponics For Beginners
To get the most out of your hydroponic planting lesson, you can plan out exactly what plants you want to grow and what you’re going to do with them when they’re fully grown. You can have a harvest celebration in the classroom so you can all taste the fruits of your labor together or you can have students take their produce home to share with their families. To spark your students’ curiosity, place the hydroponics units in a visible area where it will draw their eyes. When the students have questions, consider encouraging them to do their own research or experimentation to find the answers. Finally, to grow their minds along with their plants — ask lots of questions! Some great evaluation questions to ask are:
- How well did your plants grow?
- What problems did you run into?
- How can you do better next time?
- What worked really well?
Additional resources
If you’re looking for more information on hydroponics for beginners, consider these resources:
- In a recent blog, Realityworks Education Programs Manager Jamey McIntosh reviews his favorite ways to use hydroponics in the classroom
- Our Hydroponics Implementation Page contains a variety of resources, including a free “How to Grow” guide, printable growth chart, system details, and more
- You can watch our complete webinar, “Grow Learning with Hydroponics Educational Systems: A Panel Discussion,” on-demand anytime: